Fez – On Tuesday, France’s Ministry of Education decided to add Arabic to the list of foreign languages French students can select to study in the formal curriculum starting in 2017.

Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, France’s Education Minister said that “teaching the Arabic language from now on will be incorporated within the French educational system.” The decision did not appeal to the French right-wing parties.

Annie Genevard, French UMP Party representing Doubs, said earlier that the decision would fuel sectarianism and undermine social and national cohesion

Belkacem pointed out that Arabic teachers would attend specifically designated pedagogical training sessions organized by specialists in the domain and would have their work evaluated like teachers of other languages.

Bechir Labidi, director of the European Observatory for Teaching Arabic in Paris, said in a statement to Huffington Post Arabic that “it is a very positive step, which reflects the official willing to give the Arabic language its position in France after being marginalized for many years.’’

The recent decision by the Ministry of Education is in response to the rising demand to learn Arabic every year by the Arab communities as well as the French.

In a report released by the French Institute of integration in 2015, 680 teachers from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia taught 57, 000 students Arabic during a program in 2012

These figures are weak compared to the large numbers of students who learn Arabic often for free in language learning centers, mosques, and non-governmental associations in addition to the special Islamic educational institutions which focus on teaching Arabic language and the Islamic teachings.